BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to build a strong and solid frontier defense network for both territorial land and water at a national meeting held here on Friday.

Xi said, upon mentioning frontier defense, one cannot help thinking China's modern history when the country was so weak and destitute that it was for everyone to bully.

Foreign aggressors broke China's land and sea defense for hundreds of times, plunging the Chinese nation into the abysm of calamity, Xi added, calling on the people not to forget the history of humiliation and to build a strong frontier.

Xi urged China's frontier defenders to meticulously monitor over and control the frontier and to mount actions to defend the country's maritime right, while implementing an overall national security outlook.

Furthermore, Xi called for efforts from both the military and civilian communities to strike a balance between frontier defense and economic development, staunchly safeguarding frontier security, stability and prosperity.

Xi pledges China will never seek hegemony

President re-affirms vow at meeting with leaders of Peaceful Coexistence doctrine's founding countries

Chinese
President Xi Jinping on Saturday delivered a keynote speech at a
commemoration marking the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence at the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing.[Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese
President Xi Jinping (front row C), Myanmar President U Thein Sein
(front row 4th L) and Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari (front
row 4th R) together with delegates from China, India and Myanmar
attending a conference marking the 60th anniversary of the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence pose for a group picture during their
meeting in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

China will never seek hegemony, no matter how strong it becomes,
President Xi Jinping said on Saturday at a high-profile meeting to mark
the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

"China does not accept the logic that a strong country is bound to
become hegemonic, and neither hegemony nor militarism is in the Chinese
DNA," Xi said in a speech, as he played host to leaders from Myanmar and
India to commemorate the anniversary.

Citing poems and old sayings from the three countries, Xi called for
dialogue based on equality to resolve disputes and joint efforts to
preserve regional peace.

He also announced the establishment of a friendship award and an
outstanding scholarship related to the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence.

Observers said Xi's remarks and the first meeting of leaders of all
three of the peace code's founding countries since its inception sought
to assure the world of China's peaceful development amid simmering
tension in the East and South China seas.

It will take time for China, or any growing power, to be fully
accepted by the world. But China will prove its intentions with its
actions, based on the five principles, which can play a bigger role in
the current international community, they added.

In 1954, the leaders of China, India and Myanmar initiated the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. They are mutual respect for
sovereignty and territorial integrity; mutual non-aggression;
non-interference in each other's internal affairs; equality and mutual
benefit; and peaceful coexistence.

The joint commemoration - especially the presence of Myanmar's
President U Thein Sein and India's Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari -
shows those two countries' efforts to push forward the peace code and
their relationship with China, said Zhang Jiuhuan, former director of
the Department of Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry.

Having guided the rapid development of ties between China and
Southeast Asia, the principles could also lead to the resolution of
issues between China and some Southeast Asian countries in the South
China Sea, said Zhang, who is also a former Chinese ambassador to
Singapore and Thailand.

Wang Fan, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University, said
the five principles could be developed to become a mechanism to
guarantee the spirit's future implementation.

East Asia - divided by an outdated alliance system - lacks a sound
multilateral platform for cooperation. So the five principles under a
mechanism could better restrict all concerned parties, he said.

Ansari also called for "a new paradigm for global action", "a
framework in which opportunities and challenges for the betterment of
our societies coexist".

The five principles "can act as a catalyst", he said in a speech at the meeting.

By Zhao Shengnan (China Daily)

Japan, Philippines using rule of law pretext

BEIJING, June 27 -- A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday said Japan and the Philippines have infringed on other countries' interests under the pretext of rule of law.

"Some countries are provoking and stirring up tensions on the one hand and vilifying other countries under the pretext of rule of law," Qin Gang said at a daily press briefing.

Qin's comments came after Philippine President Benigno Aquino and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday called for use of "the rule of law" to solve regional disputes, at a time when both countries are embroiled in separate rows with China.

Qin said China has always been committed to working with relevant countries and resolving the disputes on the basis of historical facts and international laws.

He also said China does not accept the international arbitration put forward by some countries, not because it is afraid to do so. The country is only "exercising the legitimate rights of signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea."

In early June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration asked China to submit evidence on its territorial claims in the South China Sea within six months for a procedural review of the suit filed by the Philippines.

China aims to properly resolve issues and protect regional peace and stability, which is also in line with the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea , according to Qin.

"Some countries have infringed on the legitimate interests of other countries under the pretext of rule of law," he added, urging Japan and the Philippines to reflect on their acts in accordance with international laws and the norms guiding international relations.

The deepening crisis in Iraq is a result of mistakes of US Middle East policy under two presidents. Washington does not learn from mistakes, so tensions inevitably will rise in the already disintegrating region.

WMD lies
The regime change war of the George W. Bush administration against Iraq was arguably the greatest strategic mistake in US history. The consequences continue to unfold.

The Obama administration added fuel to the regional fire by launching the regime change wars against Libya and Syria. The flow of weapons and terrorists links these struggles.

The US public was outraged that the Obama administration considered a direct attack against Syria. The public today is becoming increasingly concerned about US involvement in yet another unnecessary Iraq war.

The present situation in Iraq must be placed in historic context. The British created the country after WWI from three former Ottoman provinces. The British strategic concept involved moving oil from the northern area of Mosul to Haifa in Palestine to be refined and then service the navy in the Mediterranean. Oil from the southern area of Basra was refined to service the navy in the Persian Gulf.

The northern area is one home of the Kurds, who are an ancient non-Arab ethnic group. The central area is traditionally the home of Sunni Arabs while the southern area is traditionally the home of Shiite Arabs.

The possibility of a breakup of this artificial state has always been present as the Kurds seek independence and the Shiite Arabs have religious ties to Iran. An Iraqi national identity was mostly held by secular political forces in the past.

In the aftermath of the war, the US dismantled the ruling Ba'ath political party, which ran the government apparatus. It also destroyed the Iraqi army. These two moves undermined national unity and stability in the post-war period.

The Obama regime change war against Syria has now morphed into a complex mess involving both Syria and Iraq. This explosive situation in turn threatens Jordan and Lebanon.

ISIS in Iraq
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group with its many foreign fighters is a powerful actor in the present situation. But it must also be said that various Iraqi groups are also involved. These include former Iraqi military, political, and religious networks dissatisfied with the present Shiite-dominated government.

When the US toppled Saddam Hussein, it was inevitable that the next regime would be dominated by the Shiites who are the majority in Iraq. Experts at that time warned against the war, arguing that with Saddam's fall, Iran would become influential in Iraq through Shiite politicians.

The Shiite-dominated Maliki government has been heavy handed toward Sunni Arabs and Kurds. This counterproductive behavior set the stage for the present crisis which has been exploited by outside forces such as Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. They financially and militarily support the extremist Sunni terrorist organizations attacking the Shiites.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states also support the US regime change war in Syria. Support by these states for Sunni terrorists is part of a larger plan to bring the region under Saudi dominance.

It is no secret in Washington that pro-Israel neoconservatives for decades have been plotting the balkanization of Syria and Iraq. They see this process as good for Israel because it would break up its hostile neighbors into less threatening enclaves.

The results of Washington's incompetence may well provoke Iran into action to protect the Shiites of Iraq. Washington and Tehran may or may not be able to agree on a path forward.

The disintegrating situation in Iraq puts great pressure on Jordan.

Because Jordan is a key ally in the region one would expect Washington to bolster Amman and this could involve military forces.

US politicians have forced war and chaos on the Middle East and have learned nothing. Will Washington's Asian pivot lead to similar results?

- By Clifford A. Kiracofe Source:Global Times Published: 2014-6-26
The author is an educator and former senior professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

Friday, 27 June 2014

Australia said the search for MH370 has shifted further south and the aircraft is now believed to have been on autopilot before it disappeared.

“It is highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot.

“Otherwise, it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings,” said Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss during a press conference in Canberra yesterday.

However, he said the investigators could not, and had not intended to, pinpoint the moment when the aircraft was put on autopilot.

“We know it was on autopilot during the critical phase of our tracking but it will be a matter for the Malaysia-based investigation team to look at precisely when it may have been put on autopilot,” said Truss, who also declined to comment on speculation about the pilot having flown the course on his simulator, pointing out that it was irrelevant to their task of finding the aircraft.

“I don’t really want to comment on areas which will probably be the responsibility of Malaysia and its investigators,” he said.

Truss said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had released a report which outlined the basis for their conclusion that the new search area was the most likely place where the aircraft could be found.

He said the new priority search zone was 60,000sqkm, and was greatly expanded compared to the previous underwater search area of only 860sqkm.

“The new phase of the search will have two elements. Firstly there will be mapping of the sea floor in the area, which is already under way, and a comprehensive search once mapping had been completed,” he said.

Mapping is currently being undertaken by Chinese survey ship Zhu Kezhen and the Australian-contracted vessel Fugro Equator.

Truss said mapping of the very deep sea floor was expected to take about three months to complete, while the underwater search was expected to commence by August.

“To put new equipment into the area without a clear knowledge of what the sea floor is like will certainly put at risk the capacity of that equipment to operate safely,” he said.

Truss added that the search effort would include equipment provided by Malaysia, including vessels equipped with towed sonar systems.

Despite acknowledging the enormity of the task, Truss remains optimistic.

“The search is still going to be painstaking. Of course, we could be fortunate and find it in the first hour or the first day, but it could take another 12 months.”

Missing Malaysian airliner 'likely on autopilot' as new search area announced

Australian Deputy
Prime Minister Warren Truss points the new search area for MH370 to
reporters at a press conference at Australian Parliament House in
Canberra, June 26, 2014. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss
said on Thursday that it is "highly likely" the missing Malaysian
airliner flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the
Indian Ocean. (Xinhua/Xu Haijing)

CANBERRA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren
Truss said on Thursday that it is "highly likely" the missing Malaysian
airliner flew on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and crashed into
the Indian Ocean.

Truss made the comment on Thursday when announcing the joint search
operation involving Australia, Malaysia and China would shift its focus
in the southern Indian Ocean for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The revised search area is based on the findings of an international satellite working group.
The group has reviewed all existing information to define a search
zone of up to 60,000 square kilometers along the arc in the southern
Indian Ocean.

Truss said the refined search area would still be focused on the
seventh arc, where the aircraft last communicated with satellite.

But the search would shift to an area slightly further south along
the arc, based on the calculations of the international experts.

"Specialists have analyzed satellite communications information- -
information which was never initially intended to have the capability to
track an aircraft -- and performed extremely complex calculations,"
Truss said.

"This site is the best available and most likely place where the aircraft is resting."

"It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot,
otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been
identified through the satellite sightings," Truss said.

He said the search for MH370 was ongoing. A three-month mapping of
the ocean floor in the search area is in progress and would be followed
by a comprehensive search of the sea floor that is expected to begin in
August and take up to 12 months to complete.

"The bathymetric survey has already commenced, with the Chinese
survey ship Zhu Kezhen and the Australian-contracted vessel Fugro
Equator conducting operations in the areas provided by the Australian
Transport Safety Bureau," Truss said.

"The underwater search will aim to locate the aircraft and any
evidence to assist with the Malaysian investigation of the disappearance
of MH370."

"This area has never been comprehensively mapped previously and so to
put new equipment down into that area without having clear knowledge of
what the sea floor is like certainly risks the operation and the
capacity of that equipment to operate safely."

He warned that the search will still be painstaking. "Of course we
could be fortunate and find it in the first hour, or the first day, or
it could take the next 12 months."

Australia, Malaysia and China have reaffirmed their commitment to
continue to search for MH370 and to keep families informed of
developments.

Truss said search nations owed it to "the passengers and the crew and
everyone associated with MH370 to bring this mystery to a conclusion."

"I can assure all the families and those with an interest that
Australia remains dedicated to the task of solving this greatest
aviation mystery."

Flight MH370 vanished on March 8 with 239 people aboard, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Thursday, 26 June 2014

KUALA LUMPUR: A chilling video of a Malaysian riding in a truck with a group of militants fighting in the Syrian jihadist movement has surfaced on the Internet.

He is one of the 20 Malaysians confirmed by Bukit Aman to have taken part in the uprising in Syria.

The one-and-a-half minute video, which appeared to have been shot by the man who spoke mostly in Bahasa Malaysia with a northern accent, described his joy as they drove off “to the battlefield”.

The authenticity of the video, which had been viewed more than 5,000 times since it was uploaded to syriantube.net on June 7, was verified by Bukit Aman.

“Yes, they are among 20 Malaysi­ans who are identified as having joined the uprising in Syria. We will announce the names of all the Malaysians involved soon,” said spokesman ACP Datin Asmawati Ahmad.

Syriantube.net founder Maher Ra claimed that the video was shot in Allepo, Syria, by a Mohd Lotfi Ariffin from Kuala Ketil, Kedah.

Syriantube has been showing video footage depicting the behind the scene shots of terrorists activities and atrocities commited by militants in Syria.

Checks on Mohd Lotfi’s Facebook showed that the video did originate from his page on June 3, which had been liked and shared by many Malaysians, some of whom offered words of encouragement.

In a story first broken by Mstar Online and Star Online, the video opened with a shot of a tank from inside a truck.
The tank then rolled away in a bushland with several Middle Eastern looking men, dressed in army fatigue sitting on it. The men were also heavily armed.

“Yes, the tank is moving, making its way to its destination – the battlefield. Allahu Akbar (God is great)! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” said the cameraman in Bahasa Malaysia.

“These are our friends,” he continued, panning over to show several men – all dressed in combat gear, bulletproof vests, helmets and black bandanas, and with riffles slung around their necks.

Some of the men even smiled and showed the “V” victory sign with their fingers as the camera closed up on them.

Without the weapons and war gear, they would have appeared like a group of friends, taking pictures with their smartphones, seemingly happy about going on a drive.

The camera then rested on a bearded Middle Eastern-looking man wearing combat uniform and a blue ski cap, who shouted Allahu Akbar! as the group of about 20 men in the truck chanted along.

“Our friends, working happily!” said the cameraman in Bahasa Malaysia, who then focused his shot on a bespectacled young man wearing a black headband and holding a smartphone, who, ironically, made a peace sign.

“Yes, our friends, we are all ready to go to the fight at the battlefield. We don’t feel scared. We don’t feel nervous!” The voice was heard saying, the camera shaking as the truck engine revved up.

“We are moving! Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,” the group chanted.

Maher claimed that the Malaysians had been in Syria for over a year.

“There aren’t 15. There are over 200 of them. Some, even as old as 60. They came with their wives and children. They stay in Aleppo and Ar-Raqqah.

“They have killed people. They have beheaded innocent civilians,” he claimed, describing himself as a pro-government Syrian who started syriantube.net to expose the atrocities committed by militant groups in the conflict-ridden country.

The Syrian government recently claimed that 15 Malaysians, purportedly involved in terrorism and jihadist activities with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (Isil) network, had been killed.

Syrians defeated an attempt at regime change which has a plan to ensure Western hegemony

IF one is sincere about resolving the bloody three-year-old conflict in Syria, one would regard the outcome of the presidential election held on June 3 as an opportunity for working out a viable solution.

The election was a genuine endorsement of the leadership of Bashar al-Assad.

A total 73% of eligible voters cast their ballots in the first ever multi-candidate direct presidential election in Syria.

Assad secured 88.7% of the votes. There were no allegations of electoral fraud or manipulation.

It is significant that Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan – hosts to the majority of refugees from the on-going war in Syria – voted overwhelmingly for Assad.

It is of course true that those parts of the country which are still in rebel hands could not vote. This would be mainly some parts of rural Syria and one medium-sized city. But all the other cities – and they account for the majority of the population – went to the ballot box.

US officials and the Western media have dismissed the election result contemptuously because a portion of the electorate could not vote, ignoring the fact that the vast majority participated enthusiastically in the polls.

They have conveniently forgotten that in the presidential election in Ukraine on May 25, millions of Russian speaking voters in the eastern part of the country refused to participate and yet the verdict was endorsed by the centres of power in the West.

This is another example of blatant double standards. Instead of rubbishing the election result, Western leaders and commentators should try to find out why the Syrian people showed so much enthusiasm for the election and why they gave so much support to Assad.

One, for the vast majority of Syrians, the election was their repudiation of the war and the killings that have claimed tens of thousands of lives since March 2011.

It was their way of affirming their commitment to peace and stability.

Two, the Syrians know that the only leader who can bring peace and stability to their land is Bashar al-Assad since he has always commanded the support of the majority of his people.

Three, there is also a great deal of appreciation among the people for the way in which the Assad government has managed to ensure that essential goods and services are available to a broad cross-section of the people in spite of the terrible devastation and destruction caused by the war.

Four, the election result is also a show of appreciation of the role played by the armed forces which has lost at least 61,000 men in the war and which, in the eyes of the people, has succeeded in protecting the innocent and preventing some brazen massacres.

It in no way justifies, it should be emphasised, some of the excesses committed by the armed forces which a number of us have condemned from the outset.

Five, if Assad won so convincingly, it is also partly because the opposition is hopelessly divided. The different armed groups are pitted against each other. There is no common platform. They were not even able to put forward a common candidate in the election.

Six, more than the opposition’s utter disarray it is the barbaric brutality of some of the armed groups revealed in so many episodes in the war that turned a lot of Syrians against them and indirectly increased support for Assad.

What has caused even greater revulsion among the people is the claim of these groups that they are the true representatives of Islam.

Seven, since some of these groups are foreign and the foreign hands behind the war are so obvious to most Syrians, rallying around Assad in the election was the people’s response to what they perceive as a massive foreign conspiracy to break Syria’s principled resistance to US helmed hegemony that serves the interests of Israel.

Ousting Assad is central to the goal of breaking resistance.

This is why the people sought through the ballot box to foil a determined push to achieve regime change in Damascus.

This, in the ultimate analysis, is the real significance of Assad’s electoral triumph.

The Syrian people have defeated a violent, aggressive attempt at achieving regime change as part of that perpetual plan to ensure US and Western hegemony, especially in a region which is pivotal to their quest for global domination.

Apart from Israel which launched a number of air-strikes against Syria in the course of the war, some of the West’s other regional allies like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have also played a major role in pursuit of this diabolical agenda.

Given that the United States and some of its allies are democracies, will they now concede that since the Syrian people have spoken, they will respect their wishes and cease their pursuit of regime change?

It is most unlikely that they would. After all, hegemony has always taken precedence over democracy.

Hegemony trumps everything else. Does it matter to the hegemon and its allies that if they continue along this path, thousands more are going to die or become refugees in some other land?

Perhaps one should reach out to ordinary American citizens in the hope that they would persuade their government to put an end to the war and create the conditions for peace in Syria.

It may be worthwhile trying this approach.

A Pew Research Centre poll conducted in 2013 showed that “70% of Americans oppose arming the Syrian rebels”.

Can they now be convinced that arming rebels against a democratically-elected president nullifies everything that a democracy stands for?

Can we expect American citizens to share the dream of their Syrian counterparts for an end to war in their land?

Will they act to make that dream come true?

By Chandra Muzaffar

Dr Chandra Muzaffar is President of JUST, the International Movement for a Just World.

Generally, developing countries were attracting more FDI than developed economies, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) World Investment Report 2014, which said total inflows to developing Asia (excluding West Asia) amounted to US$382bil last year, 4% higher than the previous year.

In the last two years, top 10 recipients of FDI flows in developing Asia were China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China took the lead with an estimated FDI outflow of US$101bil last year, spurred by mega-deals such as the US$15bil takeover of Canadian oil and gas company Nexen by China state-owned entity CNOOC Ltd as well as the US$5bil Shuanghui-Smithfield acquisition in the food industry.

South-East Asia registered slower growth, however, with inflows to the region rising just 7% to US$125bil in 2013, compared to the rapid growth in the regional grouping – from US$47bil in 2009 to US$118bil in 2012.

The report said Singapore was the largest FDI recipient in the region, with new mega-deals driving the figure to a record high of US$64bil.

Indonesia showed stable performance, while Thailand’s inflows grew to US$13bil although many projects were shelved due to political instability.

“At today’s level of investment in SDG-related sectors in developing countries – both public and private – we still face, according to Unctad’s estimates, an average annual funding shortfall of some US$2.5 trillion over the next 15 years following the end of the Millennium Development Goals,” UNDP resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Michelle Gyles-McDonnough said at the launch of the report at the Malaysian Investment Develop-ment Authority headquarters.

She highlighted the important linkages between trade and investment, amplifying the need for sustainable development.

China's outward investment is very likely to exceed foreign direct investment inflows this year, making the country a net investor, according to officials at a United Nations body.

This "inevitable trend" will have "great significance in reshaping the economic structure and long-term development" of the world's second-largest economy, they said.

In 2013, China's foreign direct investment rose by 2.3 percent year-on-year to $123.9 billion, ranking second in the world after the United States, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's World Investment Report on Tuesday.

"China remained the recipient of the second-largest flows in the world. Meanwhile, the quality of FDI inflows improved, with more into high-end manufacturing and services with high added value," said Zhan Xiaoning, director of the Investment and Enterprise Division at UNCTAD.

In 2013, investment outflows from China increased by 15 percent year-on-year to $101 billion, the third highest in the world after the United States and Japan, the report said.

As China continues to deregulate outbound investment, outflows to developed and developing countries are expected to grow further, it said.

Zhan said, "China's economic landscape, driven by exports and foreign investment in the past three decades, will change significantly. Outward investment will serve as an important driver for industrial upgrading and economic growth."

Liang Guoyong, an economic affairs officer at UNCTAD, said, "It is very hard to predict when China will become a net investor, but the trend is inevitable."

The process will accelerate along with the nation's fast economic growth, the increase in Chinese companies' competitiveness and the amount of resources and market share they gain, Liang said.

The change will lead to a more effective allocation of financial resources for the Chinese economy, as the country holds the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, Liang added.

Huo Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a Ministry of Commerce think tank, said China's new role as a net investor will help ease trade frictions.

"The rapid increase in overseas investment by Chinese enterprises is very likely to transform the trade landscape, because profits from the overseas market will lessen the country's reliance on exports, reducing trade frictions and pressure from swelling foreign exchange reserves," Huo said.

Contributed by By Li Jiabao and Mu Chen (China Daily)

Outflows from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) rose
five percent, with Singapore leading the pack at $27 billion, more than
double in 2012. The Philippines' FDI outflows last year fell to $3.6
billion from $4.2 in 2012.

However, the Philippines is nowhere in the top 10 recipients of foreign
inflows in Asia amid the slowdown in FDI in Asean compared with the
rapid growth in the past 3 years -- from $47 billion in 2009 to $118
billion in 2012. Related post:

Sunday, 22 June 2014

I AM writing this in response to the article “Hats off to a strict father” written by Nithya Sidhhu (Here: Hats off to a strict father
). The article really resonated with me.

All my three children, have always viewed me as a strict father.

Their complaints have never failed to make me feel that it was wrong for me to be such a strict father.

Like the writer, my eldest daughter also smarted under my regimen and in fact, complained to many of her friends that I was too harsh.

I felt that she did not understand the fact that I was actually intent on moulding her to become a person who would be ready to face life’s harsh realities one day.

Feeling misunderstood added to the guilt that grew in me.

That is why I felt immensely relieved when I read the article especially the words: “You may not appreciate it now but the discipline will help you in the future.”

Upon reading the article, I sent it to my eldest daughter who is currently studying in India.

Her reply really touched me because she said: “Appa (father) it was only after coming to college that I realised your strict ways were meant for my own good.”

Since it was Fathers Day, she sent me a picture with the quote: “The reason why a daughter loves her Dad the most is because there is at least one man in the world who will never hurt her. I love you, Dad”.

Both the article and my daughter’s message have succeeded in finally getting rid of the guilt within me.

Some fathers can’t help being strict but let me stress that they have their children’s best interests at heart.

The post is contributed by KARUNANITHY SUBBIAH Kuala Lumpur The StarEducate Sunday 22 June 2014.

FATHER'S Day is this Sunday and the “Sweet and
chocolaty message for fathers” in The Star the other day has prompted me
to put on my thinking cap on what a father wants for his children, the
generations to come, and the ...

A few days ago, I handed my son a Vinci tablet
to try out. This is another well-intentioned product for young children.
It comes with pre-installed educational games carefully geared to kids
up to about my son's age (actually ...

I AM writing this in response to the article “Hats off to a strict father” written by Nithya Sidhhu (Here: Hats off to a strict father
). The article really resonated with me.

All my three children, have always viewed me as a strict father.

Their complaints have never failed to make me feel that it was wrong for me to be such a strict father.

Like the writer, my eldest daughter also smarted under my regimen and in fact, complained to many of her friends that I was too harsh.

I felt that she did not understand the fact that I was actually intent on moulding her to become a person who would be ready to face life’s harsh realities one day.

Feeling misunderstood added to the guilt that grew in me.

That is why I felt immensely relieved when I read the article especially the words: “You may not appreciate it now but the discipline will help you in the future.”

Upon reading the article, I sent it to my eldest daughter who is currently studying in India.

Her reply really touched me because she said: “Appa (father) it was only after coming to college that I realised your strict ways were meant for my own good.”

Since it was Fathers Day, she sent me a picture with the quote: “The reason why a daughter loves her Dad the most is because there is at least one man in the world who will never hurt her. I love you, Dad”.

Both the article and my daughter’s message have succeeded in finally getting rid of the guilt within me.

Some fathers can’t help being strict but let me stress that they have their children’s best interests at heart.

The post is contributed by KARUNANITHY SUBBIAH Kuala Lumpur The StarEducate Sunday 22 June 2014.

FATHER'S Day is this Sunday and the “Sweet and
chocolaty message for fathers” in The Star the other day has prompted me
to put on my thinking cap on what a father wants for his children, the
generations to come, and the ...

A few days ago, I handed my son a Vinci tablet
to try out. This is another well-intentioned product for young children.
It comes with pre-installed educational games carefully geared to kids
up to about my son's age (actually ...

Friday, 20 June 2014

The young must be given opportunities to have modern education so that they can be nurtured to distinguish for themselves the importance of moderate values over extremist ideas.

DURING an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (Isis) on the Iraqi SWAT headquarters in al-Anbar on May 26, a young 26-year-old Malay man, Mohd Tarmimi Maliki, blew himself up like a true suicide bomber in order to kill as many Iraqi personnel as he possibly could.

Mohd Tarmimi succeeded. He killed 25 elite Iraqi soldiers and, according to reports, he was trained by militants right here in Malaysia – in Port Dickson. It is tragic to know that young Malaysians have to give meaning to their lives in this way.

And Mohd Tarmimi was not the first. A few years ago, a bomb maker from Kluang, Noordin Mohammad Top, became notorious for massive suicide attacks during the Jemaah Islamiah’s reign of terror in Java and Bali. His comrade and fellow bomb maker, Dr Azahari Husin, was also Malaysian.

This has not gone unnoticed. Only last week the Government announ­ced the capture of four militants in Sandakan, and statements from the police seem to suggest that militancy is on the rise in our country.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was quick to announce that Malaysia would never allow itself to be used by terrorists groups, adding that the Government was serious about making our nation a moderate Muslim country.

He specifically referred to the Global Movement of Moderates, established by Putrajaya, as an affirmation that the Government was serious about fighting extremism and militancy.

There are other measures that the Govern­ment should put in place to stop more young Malaysians joining the “jihad” brigade and senselessly killing themselves.

Stopping foreign militants from infiltrating our country is a sacred duty of our armed forces, but equally sacred is the duty of all of us to ensure that young Malaysians denounce violence, and I hope our leaders regard the existence of suicide bombers from amongst our young as a serious matter that requires urgent measures.

I have some views on how we can do this.

First, we must give our young opportunities to have modern education so that they can be nurtured to distinguish for themselves the importance of moderate values over extremist ideas. Secular education makes them think, unlike religious ones which make them obey. Modern education nurtures the young minds, and allows them to examine life’s many possibilities.

They must be taught not to condone violence and the killing of others, no matter how compelling the reasons for doing so might be.

We must teach young Malaysians to respect and safeguard human life and dignity, and always defend the rights of others as they expect others to do for them.

Unless our young boys and girls have the educational training to find peaceful ways to live in this modern world and are able to tell what is good for themselves and for society versus what is harmful, extremism and fanaticism will flourish.

For such a liberal education to take root in our schools, we must put a stop to indoctrination under the guise of religious teachings, and we must not continue to imbue our young with supremacist-nationalist ideas.

If we fail to do this, we will certainly produce more young men and women who are angry with the ways of the world. They will find it attractive to engage in violence and even to kill themselves for causes they have been misled to believe are worthy of the sacrifice.

Outside the schools, Malaysians must unite to reject extremism. It is no good to retaliate against extremist positions with our own extremism, meekly telling everyone that extremism begets extremism.

Religious preachers sometimes extol violent views in the name of religious commandments, and that’s how the seed of violence is sown. For a start, we must monitor the Friday sermons – no one, not even officers of the various Religious Departments – should be allowed to preach hate.

Our leaders, political or otherwise, must be mindful of their statements and conduct so as not to encourage our young to accept violence and hate speech. It is time that leaders tempered their political posturing, and they must distance themselves from excesses and extremist acts of all kinds.

At the same time, we need to mobilise the positive elements in society to do their part. There are enough people of goodwill who can teach young Malaysians about the benefits of inclusiveness and harmony.

The sense of wanting to belong and to be a part of a larger community will always win the day if only the people work hard to instil these values instead of the vile and vicious ideas that have become commonplace in our political discourse today.

Today, the whole world is grappling with the issue of how to manage violence and extremism, and it’s not hard to see that, in the Islamic world alone, the forces represented by the Sunni and the Syiah are engaging in sectarian and tribal wars of a huge magnitude.

Just look at what has happened in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria – if Malaysia is not careful and allows itself to be dragged into the same dispute, and if we delude ourselves into thinking that Islam is “under attack” and must therefore align ourselves to certain extremist groups, then many more like Mohd Tarmimi will join the brigade.

It will be a national disaster if our young have nothing to look forward to other than a short life to be terminated by their own suicide bombs. We must ring-fence them from this violence and, instead, help them to discover hope and a sense of worth in their lives. This is the duty of every Malaysian today.

- The article is contributed by All kinds of Everything by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim from The Star/Asia News Network.
Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is highly passionate about practically everything, hence the name of this column. Having established himself in the legal fraternity, Zaid ventured into politics and has been on both sides of the political divide. The former de facto Law Minister is now a legal consultant but will not hesitate to say his piece on any current issue. He can be reached at zaid.ibrahim@partners-corp.com. The views expressed here are entirely his own.

Does this constitute jihad?

BASED on police investigations, we learn that several Malay­sians have volunteered to become jihad fighters and suicide bombers in the civil war in Syria.

The Malaysian volunteers believe they have a religious duty to fight and die for the Sunnis, who are being suppressed by the Assad regime with the help of the Syiahs from within that country and from Iran.

These Malaysian suicide volunteers believe they are fighting to save the Sunni school, which to them is true Islam, against the Syiah teachings.

It’s time for our ulamas to come out publicly to advise these gullible volunteers that there is no reason for them to die in Syria.

This is because the internal war and violence against innocent Sunni civilians there have nothing to do with religion.

On the contrary, the unending conflicts in the region have more to do with Middle East power politics. It’s all about the rivalry for supremacy in the region between the Sunni Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, and their neighbour, Iran.

Iran, the biggest country in the Gulf region, and the country with the longest history of civilisation, has always felt since its imperial days under the Shah that it should be the natural superpower in the region.

The Arab states, who are ruled by Sunnis, on the other hand, are nervous about the growing Iranian influence in Iraq and Syria.

The Sunni’s cry for help against discrimination and victimisation by the Syiahs is receiving wide support from the Arab states.

The Arabs fear that if the Syiahs are successful in Iraq and Syria, Iran will become more powerful and, with its nuclear ambitions, could threaten the security of Saudi Arabia itself.

The Arab concern is not so much about Saudi Arabia losing its status as the religious leader of Sunni Muslims worldwide but more about losing its strategic influence in the region, especially in the oil industry.

The role that oil plays in world finance and politics gives the Saudis a powerful voice in the international community, which the United States is well aware of and which the West has fully exploited by protecting the Saudis from Iranian threats and in return, getting the Arab regimes to cooperate to maintain peace with Israel.

Malaysian Muslims should understand that the wars in Syria and Iraq are, in actual fact, proxy wars between the Arab states and Iran in their rivalry for regional superpower status.

To checkmate each other, the Arabs and Iran are prepared to make allies with the two world powers, ie, the US on one side and Russia on the other, who actually have the power to end the war in Syria today if they really want to.

Our ulamas should understand all these realities of world politics and not let our Muslim men be easily fooled by those who claim that it is jihad to die as suicide bombers for the suffering Syrian Sunnis.

No breakthrough was made during the Wednesday meeting of Chinese
State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, but experts hope tension between the
nations will at least ease up.

At Vietnam's invitation, Yang
co-hosted the chairmen's meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee
for Bilateral Cooperation in Hanoi, an inter-governmental mechanism set
up for coordinating bilateral relations.

He also met with Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Communist Party of Vietnam General
Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong later on Wednesday.

"The difficulties
China and Vietnam face at the moment are because Vietnam has
continually illegally harassed Chinese drilling operations in the waters
near the Xisha Islands for more than a month," Yang said during the
meeting with Minh.

FM releases photos of Vietnam ship hitting Chinese patrol vessel

Yang stressed that the Xisha Islands are
inherent territory of China and there are no disputes in this area. "The
most urgent thing is for Vietnam to stop its interference and
harassment, stop hyping up the issue and stop whipping up disagreement
to create new disputes, and properly deal with the aftermath of the
recent serious incidents of violence," Yang said.

No progress
was made during the discussion, as the two sides insisted on their
opposing positions, an anonymous Vietnamese official familiar with the
talks was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Wu Shicun,
president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in
Hainan Province, told the Global Times that it is predictable that
Vietnam would insist on its stance as it claimed sovereignty over the
Xisha Islands in a law passed in 2012.

"This one-time meeting
alone can't solve all the problems the two countries face. However, the
fact that these annual meetings have continued in spite of the South
China Sea tension is already a good sign. It proves that both sides have
a friendly intention to solve the dispute," said Gu Xiaosong, an expert
on Southeast Asian studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.

These are the highest-level talks between China and Vietnam after relations began to sour over the vessel ramming around the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig in May.

Vietnamese
protests against the oil rig worsened into violent riots against
Chinese nationals and businesses in southern and central Vietnam, which
led to the deaths of four Chinese nationals. China has since announced
the suspension of some bilateral exchange plans.

China's foreign
ministry released substantial evidence earlier this month, including an
official note from Vietnam's then-premier Pham Van Dong in 1958, to
prove that Vietnam acknowledged China's sovereignty over the Xisha
Islands and the Nansha Islands at the time. Vietnam later reneged on its
words.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Dung said last month that Vietnam was considering legal action against China over the disputed waters.

"Vietnam
needs to assess the impact on itself if they sue China, as the
[previous] evidence will prove China's claim. Vietnam stands more to
lose in a bitter bilateral relationship with China. It should remain
calm and exercise restraint to solve the disputes via negotiations," Wu
noted. - Global Times

Vietnam says it has evidence to prove its claim in South China Sea but is ignoring own historical documents that vindicate China's position

Vietnam has been using China-Vietnam clashes in the South China Sea, and distorting facts, fanning passions and playing up the "China threat" theory, to vilify China. Ignoring the overall development of Beijing-Hanoi relationship, Vietnam is pretending to be a "victim" in the South China Sea dispute, saying it is prepared to seek international arbitration on the issue.

Vietnamese leaders have said that they have enough historical evidence to justify Vietnam's sovereignty over "Huangsha" and "Changsha" islands, claiming that Vietnam has been the "master" of the two islands since the 17th century. It seems like they have lifted their remarks straight out of a white paper "Truth of China-Vietnam Relationship over 30 Years", issued by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry in 1979 when bilateral ties were not normal. Worse, almost all the arguments in that 1979 document were copied from a "white paper" issued by the Saigon-based puppet South Vietnam regime (or the Republic of Vietnam) in February 1974.

Now the Vietnamese leaders, using the so-called historical documents, are trying to claim that Vietnam's "Huangsha" and "Changsha" islands are actually China's Xisha Islands and Nansha Islands. The fact is that, the islands recorded in Vietnamese documents refer to some other islands surrounding Vietnam instead of the Xisha and Nansha islands.

To encroach on China's territory in the 1970s, the South Vietnam regime distorted historical facts, which were adopted by later Vietnamese leaders for political purposes. This has complicated the issue and caused serious damage to Sino-Vietnamese ties.

A look at the evidence presented in China's diplomatic documents in the late 1970s and early 1980s will reveal the truth. In fact, even some Vietnamese scholars have said that the documents cited by Vietnam to claim sovereignty over the Xisha and Nansha islands are not genuine historical records but edited versions of originals, confirming China's sovereignty over the islands.

Vietnamese leaders said China forcibly occupied the entire "Huangsha Islands" in 1974, which were then controlled by the Saigon regime. The Saigon regime had kicked up a row over the naval battle that broke out in 1974 in the waters around China's Xisha Islands and sought military support from its ally, the United States, and requested the UN Security Council's intervention. But neither the US nor the UN Security Council acceded to the Saigon regime's request. This means the international community, including the US, has never believed in Vietnam's complaints or claims.

On Sept 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh announced the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi. In January 1950, the People's Republic of China became the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Ho Chi Minh-led Vietnam. For China and a vast majority of the other countries, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (later the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), was (and has been) the only legitimate government of Vietnam, and the government of South Vietnam, a puppet regime installed by French colonialists and American imperialists.

So now, about 39 years after defeating the Americans, why does the Socialist Republic of Vietnam want to use the Saigon regime's claim to create trouble in the South China Sea? Aren't the current Vietnamese leaders betraying Ho Chi Minh and other freedom fighters, profaning the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of their compatriots who laid down their lives to resist foreign aggressors, and negating the valued support of their allies in the battle against colonialism by citing the comprador Saigon regime's claim?

The Vietnamese government must not violate the principle of estoppel in the Xisha and Nansha islands' sovereignty issue. Vietnamese leaders claim that no country recognizes that the Xisha and Nansha islands belong to China. This is a brazen lie, because the Democratic Republic of Vietnam topped the list of countries that accepted China's sovereignty over the islands.

The Democratic Republic of Vietnam's position was unequivocal in the 1950s and 1960s. The position remained unchanged even after the death of Ho Chi Minh and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Documents with the Chinese Foreign Ministry from the 1970s and 1980s show the position of the Ho Chi Minh-led Vietnamese Communist Party on the Xisha and Nansha islands. The most important of these documents is a note given by former Vietnamese premier Pham Van Dong to Zhou Enlai and the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1965.

On Sept 4, 1958, the Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China said that the breadth of the territorial sea of the country shall be 12 nautical miles and that this provision should apply to all territories of the PRC, including all the islands in the South China Sea. On Sept 14, 1958, Pham Van Dong solemnly stated in his note to Zhou Enlai that Vietnam recognizes and supports the Declaration of the Government of the PRC on the country's territorial sea. On Sept 22, 1958, the diplomatic note was publicly published in Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of the Vietnamese Communist Party.

On May 9, 1965, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued a statement on the US' definition on the "theater of war" in Vietnam. The statement said that by defining the whole of Vietnam and the waters up to 100 nautical miles off its coast as well as part of the territorial sea of China's Xisha Islands as the operational area of the US armed forces, Lyndon Johnson, then US president, has directly threatened the security of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and its neighbors.

In recent years, however, some Vietnamese government officials and "scholars" have tried to "reinterpret" the two government documents, only to end up making fools of themselves. And after their attempts failed, the Vietnamese government started pretending as if the two documents never existed.

Vietnam has said that it is fully prepared with historical and legal evidence to prove its claim in the South China Sea, and it is waiting for the appropriate time to take China to the international court of justice. If that is so, then Vietnam should not forget to attach Pham Van Dong's note and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam's statement, as well as the maps and textbooks published by Vietnam before 1975, with its complaint.

By Ling Dequan (China Daily), a researcher with the Research Center of World Issues, affiliated to Xinhua News Agency

Wang Min (L Front), China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses the meeting of state parties to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at the UN headquarters in New York June 13, 2014. Wang Min on Friday forcefully refuted accusations made by Vietnam and the Philippines against China over the South China Sea situation, holding the two countries responsible for any disputes. He slammed Vietnam and the Philippines for infringing upon Chinese territories. (Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei)

UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A
Chinese envoy on Friday forcefully refuted accusations made by Vietnam
and the Philippines against China over the South China Sea situation,
holding the two countries responsible for any disputes.

At the meeting of state parties to the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) held here, Wang Min, China's deputy
permanent representative to the United Nations, slammed Vietname and the
Philippines for infringing upon Chinese territory.

Wang said that on May 2, a Chinese company's HYSY 981 drilling rig
started its drilling operation inside the contiguous zone of China's
Xisha Islands for oil and gas exploration. Vietnam sent a large number
of vessels, including armed ones, to the site, illegally and forcefully
disrupting the Chinese operation for over 1,400 times so far.

"What Vietnam did seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty,
sovereign rights and jurisdiction, grossly violated relevant
international laws, including the UNCLOS, undermined the freedom and
safety of navigation in the related waters, and damaged regional peace
and stability," said Wang, who also heads the Chinese delegation to the
meeting.

In mid-May, with the connivance of the Vietnamese government,
thousands of Vietnamese outlaws committed sabotage against foreign
companies, including Chinese ones, in Vietnam, brutally killing four
Chinese nationals, injuring over 300 others and causing heavy property
losses, Wang added.

"Till now, Vietnam still has not responded to our legitimate demand," he noted.

The envoy pointed out that lies can never eclipse truth, nor can publicity stunts provide a legal cloak for illegal actions.

"What Vietnam needs to do now is to respect China's sovereignty,
sovereign rights and jurisdiction, immediately stop all forms of
disruptions of the Chinese operation and withdraw all vessels and
personnel from the site, so as to ease the tension and restore
tranquility on the sea as early as possible," Wang said.

He reiterated that Xisha Islands are an inherent part of China's
territory, and are under effective jurisdiction of the Chinese
government.

"There's no dispute about them," he said, pointing to the fact that
all the successive Vietnamese governments prior to 1974 had formally
acknowledged Xisha islands as part of China's territory since ancient
times.

"Now the Vietnamese government is going back on its word and making
territorial claims over China's Xisha Islands," Wang said, noting that
Vietnam is reneging on its own promises, saying one thing today and
denying it tomorrow.

"We would like to ask: how could Vietnam be trusted by the
international community and how could Vietnam's international
commitments be taken seriously in the future?" Wang said, referring to
Vietnam's action as a violation of estoppel, a basic principle in the
international law.

With regard to all the false accusations made by the Philippines
against China, Wang pointed out the root cause of the disputes between
China and the Philippines in the South China Sea is the Philippines'
illegal occupation of some islands and reefs belonging to China's Nansha
islands.

"The Philippines attempts to legalize its infringements and
provocations by dragging China into arbitral proceedings," he said. "The
Philippines is also trying to win international sympathy and support
through deception. This is what the problem is in essence."

The ambassador noted that pursuant to the provisions of UNCLOS, the
Chinese government made a declaration in 2006, excluding disputes over
maritime delimitation and territorial sovereignty from compulsory
dispute settlement procedures.

"As a sovereign state and a state party to UNCLOS, China has the
right under international law to do this. China does not accept the
arbitration initiated by the Philippines," Wang said, stressing that
China's position based on the provisions of the international law will
not change.

"China appreciates the efforts made by the majority of ASEAN
countries to preserve regional peace and stability," he said. "We will
continue working with ASEAN countries to strictly act on the DOC (the
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea), promote
practical cooperation, enhance mutual trust and jointly uphold peace and
stability in the South China Sea."

UNITED NATIONS, June 9 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday sent a note to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, presenting documents making clear Vietnam's provocation and China's stance regarding the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea.

In the note, Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the
United Nations, also asked Ban to circulate the documents, as UN
General Assembly documents, among all UN member states. Full story

We should promote overall security in the Asia-Pacific, work
tirelessly to expand the scope of security cooperation, enrich its
concept, deepen its level and establish a new security cooperation
mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region.